Saudi Arabia has reportedly made a huge take-it-or-leave-it offer to resume tennis and continue its involvement in the game after massive investments in football, Formula 1, boxing and golf. A new ‘Premium Tour’ has been launched, which would encompass both male and female tours, with existing chefs bringing in £1 billion (£783,000,000).
The Telegraph claims that after discussions between tournament bosses in Indian Wells, ATP president Andrea Gaudenzi called for the Masters tournaments to take place once the 4 majors are gone.
He then informed them that an offer had come in from the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF). The agreement would be urgent and the existing regime has 90 days to accept it.
The All England Club has in the past subsidized the project, which would allow male and female professional tennis players to earn an equivalent salary on the Premium Tour.
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Pay parity already exists at Grand Slam tournaments, but not at all other events, and while players will be consulted, it will be very difficult for the WTA to pass up that opportunity.
One of the controversial topics is the Masters 1000 tournament in the first week of the season, which would be considered a major blow to the PIF, however, the chief executive of Tennis Australia has strongly opposed the concept as it would clash with his United Cup team event.
The new Premium Tour is expected to include all four Grand Slams, 10 Masters 1000s of 10 days each, a team festival and combined season-ending championships.
The 10 Masters tournaments would likely include Doha, Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Rome, Madrid, an unspecified grass-court tournament, Canada, Cincinnati and Beijing.
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As a result, lower-level 500- and 250-point tournaments would be demoted to Contender Tour status, and the ATP and WTA would likely disagree while overseeing such events.
The WTA said in a statement: “The WTA is actively collaborating with other professional tennis governing bodies, as well as existing and potential advertising partners, to explore whether we can bring greater alignment to the sport, while cutting the fragmentation that exists. Right now.
“These conversations have been going on for some time and while they remain positive and constructive, lately there is no consensus in the game on the desired outcome.
“In the meantime, the WTA will continue to deliver another exciting season and execute on our expansion plans, while reviewing proposals submitted through Saudi Arabia and the Grand Slam.
“There is a lot of interest in women’s tennis from enthusiasts and partners around the world, and we need women’s tennis to get bigger and bigger in the future. “
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